Citizens for Responsible Education

Responsible-ed.org

USC citizens organized to support responsible school directors, reject narrow interests

and outside interference, and work for education reform in Pennsylvania.

School Board Raids Reserve Fund To Balance Budget

Upper St. Clair School Board voted 5-4 on Monday, June 23, to approve a budget that will have to drawn down the reserve fund (Fund Balance). The $55.2 million 2008-2009 School District Budget will outspend anticipated revenues by $1,885,534. In order to make up this short-fall, the School Board voted to dip into the Fund Balance reducing it to 5% from 7%. Fund balances are maintained by a school district in order to pay for unanticipated expenditures like rising fuel prices, rising pension contributions, storm damage, or other acts of God. Their decision is an unusual move that instead authorizes use of the fund balance for anticipated expenditures instead. According to Mrs. Cordisco (School District Finance Director) this fiscal manipulation is not recommended by bankers who rate school district management.

The budget was approved despite objections from Mrs. Coliane, Dr. Iracki, Dr. Sulkowski, and Mr. Piconi. Each warned against reducing the fund balance below the recommended 6%.

In addition, the dissenting school directors voiced their concern particularly because the board is currently considering renovation of the middle school buildings. They also noted disappointment that the Administration had disregarded their instructions from a previous meeting to provide a budget that kept the Fund Balance at 6%.

Our Challenge to the New School Board

	Continue the past school board’s commitment to control runaway spending in the schools--The board voted on June 23, 2008 to approve expenditures for 2008-2009 of close to 2 million dollars over revenues.
	Be prudent in funding and budgeting matters--Their first budget as a new board is raiding the fund balance to keep from raising taxes.
	Continue the discipline of no annual tax rate increase.
	Hold our administrators and superintendent accountable to provide timely, accurate information for decision-making.
	Develop a reasoned approach to building renovations--The Board is actively considering a Middle School renovation cost of $58 million.
	Negotiate the next teachers’ contract from a position of strength--The Board has three times refused to pass a resolution in favor of banning teacher strikes in PA.
	Base decisions on measurable performance goals.
	Work to ensure our schools meet the academic needs of all students, not just narrow groups--The Board is actively considering allowing non-residents to attend USC for IB Diploma Programme at a reduced rate as compared to average per pupil cost. These students will compete for all tangential services with resident students: guidance services, resource room services, teacher time, library time, computer time, etc.

Is Anyone Surprised That The New School Board Is Supporting The Most Expensive Renovation Option For the Middle Schools?

With options ranging from $15 million for necessary upgrades, to the $58 million Taj Mahal, our new School Board has predictably chosen the latter.

Despite objections of conflict of interest, higher cost, and historical contractual problems, the board voted 5-4 in favor of hiring P. J. Dick Corp. to serve as Construction Manager. PJ Dick Site Superintendent is Mr. Russ Del Re who currently serves as a Township Commissioner. Dick's proposal was $234,418 more than Massaro, the other bidding contractor. In addition, Dr. Sulkowski raised the issue of problems with the high school renovation, also supervised by PJ Dick.

School Board Delays Support of Strike-Free Education Act

37 states in this nation have laws which make teacher strikes illegal. Every year Pa has more teacher strikes than any other state in the union. Thousands of school children miss school. Taxpayers are forced by strong arm union tactics to pay ever increasing salary and benefit packages, and school boards are at a loss as to what to do about it.

HB 1369 can change this. It calls for:

	No Strikes
	No Lock outs
	Consequences if teachers do strike (2 days loss of pay for each day of strike)
	Fact Finding
	NON-binding Arbitration
	And Public input

HB 1369 gives both parties--the teachers and the school district--an even playing field and it safeguards the most important thing: our children's right to a thorough and efficient education.

The Union has more than $80 million dollars at its disposal, much of which they use to lobby our legislatures. The children and the taxpayers have only their School Boards to lobby on their behalf. For the third time the USC School Board has refused to vote on a resolution to ban teacher strikes.

	Watch Video
	Sign Petition to Ban Teacher Strikes
	Review HB 1369
	Visit StopTeacherStrikes.org